Hi. My name’s Martin, and I procrastinate.
[Muted applause]
Look, I’m even doing it now, while trying to communicate with you about a technique I’ve employed to try to curb my procrastination!
Linux/FOSS
Gabriella E. Colman – Coding Freedom
Funnily enough, I finally get around to reading Gabriella Coleman’s Coding Freedom, and she pops up on the next episode of the Guardian Tech Weekly Podcast! I do love a good coincidence, especially when it tells me there’s a new book out: Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous.
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Do this, or Linux on the Desktop will be out of reach forever
The temptation to name each New Year the ‘Year of the Linux Desktop’ became so regular in the mid 2000s that it evolved into a metajoke. If magazines and websites still do it, it’s with tongue firmly in cheek. Every now and again a Raspberry Pi comes along and a few eyebrows guiltily rise, questioning, hopeful.
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The Perfect Device: foundations
In this article I’m going to introduce some of the key concepts I think should be considered when building a hypothetical ‘Perfect Computer‘. Some of these concepts are based on the techniques of Steve Jobs, who in the last post we discovered wasn’t an inventor, but had a strong Grand Vision coupled with a terrifying ability to squeeze the very best from his company. However, I want to take it in my own direction, meaning that as someone who is a fan of Linux and Free / Open Source Software (FOSS) I’m keen to reap the benefits of that software development model.
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Building the Perfect Computer
I was about to call this post ‘Building the Perfect Operating System’ but not only would that alienate every person I want to read this, it would also be misleading, as in this case the operating system in question is purely a means to an end.
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It’s all about the interface
This post is related to The Perfect OS is Hard to Find from last year. That earlier rant, perhaps unwittingly, was about interfaces.
Nnow I’ve realised how everything I though of which defines an OS is down to the colours and shapes it draws on the screen. Or to be more precise, my trouble was in finding an OS that I enjoyed using on a surface level. There’s no doubt I much prefer Linux on a technical level. In fact, much of my efforts on Linux have, in retrospect, been attempts to strip away as much of the interface as possible. The more Linux interface I get, the less happy I am. The same seems to be happening with Windows, Mac and even Android.
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How Linux will benefit from the death of the PC
The Perfect OS is Hard to Find
I want an operating system that doesn’t define me. Or perhaps, one that defines me better. In a sense this is why I use Linux. I can make all manner of choices with it which reflect my personality when it comes to computer use. However, I don’t think it does it well enough.
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Why FOSS should pull out of the race to find an iPhone killer
What does open source innovation look like, and how will it win out over iOS and Windows? (This post inspired by a recent episode of the Ubuntu UK Podcast (UUPC).)
Here’s a list of open source innovations:
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Linux users are generic users
I used Windows for a long time, and then I moved to Linux. I was all fine and dandy until I took a quick glance over my shoulder at the then-new Windows 7.
It struck me exactly how Linux and Windows compare in terms of their strengths, and those differences brought me back to part-time Windows. (more…)